Northeast Iowa Community Action outlines programs, asks Winneshiek County to repeat $5.9M allocation

Tricia Wilkins, chief executive officer of Northeast Iowa Community Action, told the Winneshiek County Board the agency served more than 1,100 county residents last program year and seeks the same county allocation it requested last year. Wilkins said the agency is largely federally funded (about 74%), with smaller portions from state, local and private sources, and that it used $328,960 in funds to assist Winneshiek County residents in the prior year.

Wilkins reviewed major programs that serve county residents: the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), crisis assistance for households facing disconnection or eviction, weatherization home improvements, Head Start and early Head Start classrooms, family development home visiting (FADSS) and transit services. She said weatherization slots and some program funding are limited and reported 385 households received LIHEAP assistance in the county (about $216,080). Transit services in the Decorah area are busy, she said, with thousands of rides provided countywide.

Wilkins told supervisors the agency requests $5,900,417 from the county this fiscal year — unchanged from the prior request — noting the agency works to keep requests stable in recognition of county budget constraints. She discussed staffing and operating limits for low-income housing properties the agency owns and described difficulty securing grants for major renovation work; she said one building will require a loan for a new roof and tuckpointing because past federal grant applications were recently denied.

Supervisors and Wilkins discussed local government support, waiting lists for housing, transit driver shortages and route coverage, and the possibility of forming an ad hoc committee on affordable housing. Wilkins said the agency uses county-designated funds for services within the county and coordinates with cities and local partners for targeted outreach.